Every word of Fabian's pre-Leeds press conference

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2025-10-31T12:15+00:00

Can we start with team news please?

I think it will be the same squad we had against Arsenal, so no changes regarding this. Also, the players who are still affected by small issues still might not be available. There are small chances, but I think that the squad from Arsenal will be the squad for tomorrow.

So do you think the issue that Kaoru Mitoma has is maybe more problematic than first thought?

No, honestly not. He's back on the pitch, he's training. I don't think that it's a big issue. And I think we could see him before the international break.

In terms of other players Tom Watson has really improved and impressed when he's been playing. Do you think maybe with the absence of Mitoma he could be in line for a Premier League start?

Yes, it's definitely an option.

Have you had those discussions with him?

He always gets our feedback, no matter if we plan to play him or not. We try to do a lot of individual feedback which we analyse with the players no matter if there are plans or not to start him.

Danny Welbeck has scored five goals in his last four Premier League games. 📷Paul Hazlewood.

The talk about Danny Welbeck being in England’s next squad isn't going away. It's maybe even gathering a bit more pace. After another impressive goal for him at Old Trafford have you had a few more discussions with him?

I asked the question to the squad whether Danny Welbeck can play for England and they all agreed [he can]. That was the only time we've mentioned it. Let's see what happens. I'm very convinced of my players and I have a big belief that Danny will be able to play for England, but I always try to emphasise that England has a great coach and he will make the right decisions. Let's see.

You mentioned Leeds were a hardworking team. How impressed have you been with the three teams that came up this season?

For me it's not a surprise if you saw Leeds playing last season in the Championship, they were already impressive. Then of course they have added new players - everyone who has been promoted this season has spent good money so they're all doing well which means the league is getting more and more competitive and equal. Just look at the table and see how close it is.

What do you make of the job [Leeds coach] Daniel Farke has done so far this season?

Really impressive. I think they have a clear style of play and good patterns in in the 4-3-3 shape. [They are] very disciplined and they don't give away a lot of chances. Like I said, a hardworking team who try to be there for each other and support each other. It seems to be that they have a good dynamic in their team. It will be a big challenge for us tomorrow.

You mentioned Leeds. They said that they wanted to recruit [players] with intensity, with physicality. Do you see that already and is that what you're expecting this weekend?

Yes, I see a lot of intensity, a lot of work and a lot of togetherness. Therefore, we have to be very clean in our positioning, good in our passing. We have to understand that we have to do basic things right. If we accept that it's a fight then I'm sure that we have quality in certain moments to play, but first of all it's a big fight.

How important is a positive response tomorrow afternoon?

Every game is important. Of course, in the end, it's about trying to win every game but, on the other side, it's about being there and focused on the small margins because if you focus on things you can't control then the results won't come. I'm 100 per cent convinced that we have the right characters, the right personalities and the right quality in our group to get results. There are so many factors that influence the results and the main factors you can influence you have to focus on, and that's what we try to do.

We've actually played nearly a quarter of the season. How does it feel to you in terms of where you are at this campaign?

The results can be better than they seem to be but we are progressing and are trying to settle things down more and more. We try to get a more stable team on the pitch. In our last two performances there were a lot of positive things and now it's about, like I mentioned, the small details like how to defend the box, how to defend the edge of the box, how to defend a give and go.

We have to do it for 90 minutes and at the moment we are switching off in some of the main actions. We are not staying alive. That's an easy change we can make and that we try to focus on. But I think it's also natural when we see that a lot of the players are really young and they're not on the highest level at the moment.

So the main thing is really that the individual players get back to their best shape and then the whole team will profit from that. And that's our responsibility to get the individual players back onto the highest level and then I'm sure that we can be very strong as a team.

Georginio Rutter faces his former club at the Amex on Saturday. 📷James Boardman

How important is the start of games because I think you have conceded the first goal in six of the first nine games.

It’s very important. We always try to get the lead because if you don't get the lead, especially in the Premier League, you are always having to chase the result and that means there is more space for counter-attacks. We have to be present, intense and start with a lot of energy and then see how it goes.

How do you view the form of Georginio Rutter?

I see a significant improvement, but I see more potential in him. He's capable of doing more decision-making actions on the pitch. It isn't scoring goals, it's about always being present, staying alive all the time and being a good worker against the ball. But we can all see that he's made really good developments. He’s a game changer, not only on the pitch, but also besides the pitch with his behaviour, his attitude and his positivity. He's a big win for us and hopefully he stays with us for a long time.

Does he sometimes try too hard because he came here as the biggest signing the club has ever had?

Yes, sometimes we have this discussion, and I always say to him I've never judged him by his goals and assists. Of course, the media give the big attention to the individual players. They get the most rewards when they score goals and when they make assists. Players since they were young grow up in a system where they get attention and they get compliments for goals and assists.

And this just continues, so the players try to search for these kinds of things to get compliments from outside, but for me that's not the right thing. He should identify himself by his positivity, having a good impact on his teammates, by being a great teammate, by having good actions and just doing the things you can influence… and then the goals will come.